Really feel for Kercher's friends and family in all this. I went to a vigil for her at Leeds University a week after her death and met her parents. Was a horrible, horrible day and all those memories coming back to her family today must be heart wrenching.

senso-ji wrote:
Really feel for Kercher's friends and family in all this. I went to a vigil for her at Leeds University a week after her death and met her parents. Was a horrible, horrible day and all those memories coming back to her family today must be heart wrenching.

+1

Either they did it and got off with it, or someone else is out there and has been nowhere near the police inquiry. Neither are good for her family.

senso-ji wrote:
Really feel for Kercher's friends and family in all this. I went to a vigil for her at Leeds University a week after her death and met her parents. Was a horrible, horrible day and all those memories coming back to her family today must be heart wrenching.

+1

Either they did it and got off with it, or someone else is out there and has been nowhere near the police inquiry. Neither are good for her family.

Well, there's the burglar Rudi G who was convicted, and has since admitted to fellow inmates that he was the only one there..

senso-ji wrote:
Really feel for Kercher's friends and family in all this. I went to a vigil for her at Leeds University a week after her death and met her parents. Was a horrible, horrible day and all those memories coming back to her family today must be heart wrenching.

+1

Either they did it and got off with it, or someone else is out there and has been nowhere near the police inquiry. Neither are good for her family.

Well at least one person is in prison for killing her. The question has always been about whether he was assisted in the act.

Amanda Knox looked stunned this evening after she dramatically lost her prison appeal against her murder conviction.

Knox, 24, and her family had high hopes that she would be freed and allowed to return home after spending the last four years behind bars for the killing of Meredith Kercher in Perugia, Italy, in 2007.

In December 2009 she had been sentenced to 26 years and last night the judge and jury agreed with prosecutors that she should remain in prison as they accepted that she had brutally murdered student Meredith.

(Caption) Guilty: Amanda Knox, pictured arriving at a hearing in Perugia this morning, had her appeal against conviction for the murder of British student Meredith Kercher rejected this morning

(Caption)Tears: Amanda Knox weeps in court earlier today. She will now return to prison to continue her 26-year sentence for the murder

Earlier today a tearful Amanda Knox made a dramatic 10-minute final plea for her freedom to the judge and jury in the court in Perugia.

The 24-year-old, speaking in Italian, said: 'I am the same person I was four years ago, the same person, the only thing that distinguishes me from four years ago is the four years that I have suffered.

'In four years I have lost a friend in a brutal and unexplained way. My faith in the police has been betrayed.

'I have had to face accusations, injustice and suggestions without foundation and I am paying with my life for something that I did not do.

'I am not what they say I am. I am not perverse, violent, disrespectful towards life, people, these things do not apply to me and I have not done the things that have been suggested.

'I did not kill, I did not rape, I did not steal. I was not there. I was not present at this crime.

'I had never faced such tragedy, suffering, I didn't know how to tackle it, how to interpret it.

'A person who I was sharing my life with, who had the bedroom next to me, she was killed in our house and if I was there that night I could have been killed.

'Meredith was killed and I have always wanted justice for her. I am not fleeing from the truth and have never fled. I insist on the truth. I insist after four desperate years for our innocence because it is true. It deserves to be recognised.

'I want to go home. I want to return to my life, I don't want to be punished and deprived of my life, future for something I have not done because I am innocent, Raffaele is also innocent.

'We deserve our freedom. We have never done anything not to deserve it.'

The 21-year-old was found semi naked in a pool of blood with her throat slashed in her bedroom of the house she shared with American Knox and two Italian women.

Judge Claudio Pratillo Hellman also ruled that Raffaele Sollecito, 27, Knox's former boyfriend, should remain in jail and confirmed the original 25-year sentence on the computer studies graduate.

As Knox realized the enormity of what judge Hellman was saying she sank into her chair sobbing uncontrollably while her family and friends hugged each other in tears.

A few feet away Meredith's mother Arline, her sister Stephanie and brother Lyle, who had flown in especially for the verdict remained expressionless, staring straight ahead, glancing over just once at the distraught Knox family.

Prosecutors were delighted with the verdict and said that 'justice has been done' although they said on a 'human factor it was sad two young people would be spending years in jail'.

Both Knox and Sollecito – who have always denied any involvement in the brutal murder - said they would take the case to the third and final level of appeal at the Supreme Court in Rome where it will probably be heard late next year.

The ten-month appeal hearing had heard from several witnesses who had given evidence in the first trial but most importantly from two independent court appointed DNA experts.

Professors Carla Vecchiotti and Stefano Conti had been asked to evaluate how the original DNA investigation had been carried out by the forensic police and highlighted several howling errors.

Key to the case had been a 12ins kitchen knife found at Sollecito's apartment and on which was said to be DNA from Knox on the handle and that of Meredith on the blade.

But they had insisted the genetic evidence from Knox was so small it should not be used as conclusive proof against her – although they did admit it was her DNA on the handle.

(Caption)Raffaele Sollecito at final appeal court hearing

(Caption)Powerful: Knox makes her final plea in Italian in the court in Perugia

(Caption)Court drama: Sollecito and Knox earlier made their final pleas against their convictions for the murder of Meredith Kercher

(Caption)Knox's parents Curt and Edda, pictured at an earlier hearing, were devastated after the verdict was read out in court

(Caption)Grief: Stephanie Kercher, pictured with mother Arline at a press conference this afternoon, said the family were struggling to keep sister Meredith's memory alive during the 10-month appeal

They also said that contamination was highly likely after a bra clasp was tested 46 days after it had been missed by police in the original sweep of Meredith’s bedroom.

(Caption)Victim: Meredith, 21, was found semi-naked with her throat slashed in a bedroom in the house she shared with Knox and two other women

The original trial and appeal had heard that Sollecito’s DNA was found on it but because it had been left lying around for six weeks and it had been picked up by officers wearing dirty gloves it was probably 'flawed evidence'.

Prosecutors argued that they had no idea of what they were talking about and labelled them inexperienced and amateur and judge Hellman and the jury of five women and one man believed them.

Following the verdict Knox and Sollecito were taken out of court escorted by prison guards and into a waiting van which took her back to her cell at Capanne jail near Perugia and him to Terni jail, 60 miles away.

Both will be put on a suicide watch for the next few days as psychological assessments are made on each of them but this is usual practice for long term prisoners.

The decision still leaves several questions unanswered and there are serious fears that justice has not been done as many observers believe the evidence is just not beyond all reasonable doubt.

The decision meant that the court rejected the experts opinion that DNA on the knife and bra should not have been considered as evidence in the trial and it also excepted several highly dubious witness testimonies as fact.

(Caption)Disappointed: Supporters of Amanda Knox hold an overnight vigil on the eve of the appeal verdict

(Caption)Hopes: Supporters of Amanda Knox hold an overnight vigil on the eve of the appeal verdict

(Caption)High profile: A poster announces the day of the appeal verdict

(Caption)Raffaele Sollecito, Knox's former boyfriend, also had his conviction for the killing upheld

Among these was tramp Antonio Curatolo – who has been a 'key witness' in two other murder cases in Perugia and who insisted he had seen Knox and Sollecito near the house the night of the murder.

But in court he was far from convincing and it also emerged he was a regular heroin user and he stumbled over many basic points in his evidence – insisting he knew it was the night of the murder as he had 'seen youngsters queuing for nightclub buses' at the same time.

However bus staff and disco managers all testified that no transport or venues were operating the night Curatolo claimed to have seen them as it was a bank holiday in Italy.

The court also accepted as fact the statement of former supermarket boss Marco Quintavalle who was questioned by police in the days after the murder as his business is next door to Sollecito’s apartment.

He initially had told them that he had not seen either Knox or Sollecito but then when contacted by a local newspaper six months later he changed his story and said she had been there buying bleach and he remembered her 'blue eyes'.

He stood by his claims in court but another assistant Marina Chiriborga said she was also working that day and had not seen them in the Conad supermarket at all.

(Caption)Evidence: DNA found at the scene was called into question during the hearing

(Caption)Brutal killing: A bedroom in the home Meredith shared with Knox in Perugia. Her blood-soaked body was found on the floor in her own room

Other crucial elements include Knox’s ‘confession’ in which she admitted being at the house the night of the murder but that came after 14 hours of questioning and without a proper translator or lawyer present.

There are also question marks over the DNA evidence in the bathroom concerning bloodspots found at the scene and which are said to contain mixture of both Knox and Meredith’s genetic material.

However Knox’s lawyers argued that this evidence was inadmissible as the blood could not be dated and as she lived at the house it was obvious her DNA would be there.

senso-ji wrote:
Really feel for Kercher's friends and family in all this. I went to a vigil for her at Leeds University a week after her death and met her parents. Was a horrible, horrible day and all those memories coming back to her family today must be heart wrenching.

+1

Either they did it and got off with it, or someone else is out there and has been nowhere near the police inquiry. Neither are good for her family.

Well, there's the burglar Rudi G who was convicted, and has since admitted to fellow inmates that he was the only one there..

Rudy Guede was sentenced to murder in a separate trail to Knox's for 30 years, and has since had his sentence reduced to 16 on appeal. There are still answers that need to be found on what exactly happened and who was fully involved.

Foxy goes free: Amanda Knox breaks down with joy and relief as her four-year ordeal ends as murder conviction is sensationally overturned
Co-defendant and former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito also freed on appeal
Sister praises worldwide support and Italian lawyers who 'loved her'
Knox found guilty of slander but walks free because of time served
By NICK PISA
Last updated at 9:41 PM on 3rd October 2011

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Amanda Knox was sensationally released from prison this evening after an appeal court overturned her murder conviction - sparking chaotic scenes as her family erupted with joy.
There were screams in court as Knox, 24, burst into tears and hugged her parents Curt and Edda Mellas - as just feet away the family of Meredith Kercher could only look on in amazement.
The American has served four years of a 26-year prison sentence after being found guilty in 2009 of the brutal sex murder of Meredith, 21, who was found semi naked with her throat cut in her bedroom of the house she shared in Perugia, Italy.
Computer studies graduate Raffaele Sollecito, 27, her ex-lover, who had also been accused of carrying out the murder, was also freed by the eight member jury after 11-hours of deliberations.
Amid the chaos Knox was actually found guilty of slandering bar owner Diya 'Patrick' Lumumba who she accused of carrying out the killing. She was sentenced to three years in jail - but as she had already served four years she was freed immediately.

Cleared: Amanda Knox bursts into tears after she was sensationally cleared of the murder of Meredith Kercher

Led away: Raffaele Sollecito is taken from the court by an Italian police officer after the verdict
Knox who had arrived to the hearing looking breathless and pale seemed to struggle to her feet as she was quickly led from the court room by Italian officials.
She is now looking at the possibility of a swift return to America - possibly on a private jet provided by a television network - and a huge payday.
Speaking outside the court following the verdict, Knox's sister Deanna said: 'We are thankful that the nightmare is over. She suffered for four years for a crime she did not commit.'
Ms Knox also thanked the Italian lawyers who had conducted the case and who 'loved her'.
'We are thankful for the support from all over the world, people who took the time and trouble to research the case and knew that she was innocent.

Thankful: Deanna Knox speaks outside the court in Perugia, where she thanked her sister's supporters and the Italian lawyers

Overjoyed: Around a dozen Knox supporters shouted 'She's free!' and 'We did it!' as they watched proceedings from a hotel in Seattle
KNOX'S FINAL PLEA FOR FREEDOM
Earlier today a tearful Amanda Knox made a dramatic 10-minute final plea for her freedom to the judge and jury in the court in Perugia.
The 24-year-old, speaking in Italian, said: 'I am the same person I was four years ago, the same person, the only thing that distinguishes me from four years ago is the four years that I have suffered.
'In four years I have lost a friend in a brutal and unexplained way. My faith in the police has been betrayed.
'I have had to face accusations, injustice and suggestions without foundation and I am paying with my life for something that I did not do.
'I am not what they say I am. I am not perverse, violent, disrespectful towards life, people, these things do not apply to me and I have not done the things that have been suggested.
'I did not kill, I did not rape, I did not steal. I was not there. I was not present at this crime.
'I had never faced such tragedy, suffering, I didn't know how to tackle it, how to interpret it.
'A person who I was sharing my life with, who had the bedroom next to me, she was killed in our house and if I was there that night I could have been killed.
'Meredith was killed and I have always wanted justice for her. I am not fleeing from the truth and have never fled. I insist on the truth. I insist after four desperate years for our innocence because it is true. It deserves to be recognised.
'I want to go home. I want to return to my life, I don't want to be punished and deprived of my life, future for something I have not done because I am innocent, Raffaele is also innocent.
'We deserve our freedom. We have never done anything not to deserve it.'
'We are thankful to the court for having courage to look for the truth.
'We now ask for privacy and a chance to recover from our ordeal.'
'We've been waiting for this for four years,' said one of Sollecito's lawyers, Giulia Bongiorno
However the verdict was not universally welcomed.
Outside the court there were scream of 'shame on you' which appeared to be directed at Mr Bongiorno.
One bystander shouted: 'Run off back to America on your private jet,' while another said: 'They just let the black man pay.'
Sky News reported rumours that American TV network had laid on a private plane as part of a potential a $1million deal with a guarantee of an interview.
Prosecutors now have to decide if they will appeal the acquittal to Italy's highest court. There was no word late this evening if they planned to do so.
In Seattle, about a dozen Knox supporters were overjoyed that she has been cleared of the murder conviction.
'She's free!' and 'We did it!' they shouted at a hotel where they watched the court proceedings on TV.
However the Knox family's delight contrasts sharply with the emotions of Meredith Kercher loved ones.
They were in court to hear the verdict and now four years on from the brutal murder of their 21-year-old daughter they still have no clear picture of what happened.
Her heartbroken mother Arline, sister Stephanie and brother John, shook their heads in disbelief and hugged each other for comfort, not even raising their eyes to look at the jubilant Knox camp.
At the first trial two years ago Knox and Sollecito had been convicted after the court heard they had carried out the crime with the aid of a third man Ivory Coast drifter Rudy Guede, 24.
The appeal however overturned this and ruled that he carried out on his own but key to the verdict was an independent court ordered report into hotly disputed DNA evidence.
Two forensic professors from Rome’s La Sapienza University Carla Vecchiotti and Stefano Conti had poured scorn on the original police forensic investigation of the crime scene producing a damning conclusion of techniques and methods used.
Key to the case was a 12ins kitchen knife retrieved in Sollecito’s flat and on which the original trial heard was found DNA from Meredith on the blade and that of Knox on the handle.
Prosecutors confusingly said it was 'not incompatible' with the murder weapon – which has never been found – while defence teams argued it was too big to have caused the wounds on Meredith’s throat.

Final plea: Both Sollecito and Knox made impassioned statements to the court this morning before the verdict was announced

Grief: Stephanie Kercher, pictured with mother Arline at a press conference this afternoon, said the family were struggling to keep sister Meredith's memory alive during the 10-month appeal

Elated: Knox's parents Curt and Edda, pictured at an earlier hearing, were ecstatic after the verdict was read out in court

Victim: Meredith, 21, was found semi-naked with her throat slashed in a bedroom in the house she shared with Knox and two other women
In addition the report also said that no blood was found on it and the DNA of Meredith was so low is should be ruled inadmissible – in fact there was such a small amount it could not even be retested.
They were also critical of results reached from tests on a clasp from Meredith’ s bloodied bra which was not collected from the murder scene and analyzed until 46 days after Meredith was killed.
To highlight the farcical way police carried out the investigation the experts showed footage of the way the forensic officers collected the evidence and there was gasps of amazement as more than 50 errors were pointed out.
The team was seen picking up the clasp with dirty gloves – instead of tweezers – and then placing it in a plastic bag when the recognized international procedure is a paper one.
They were then seen handing it to each other from glove to glove, placing it back on the floor in a different place from where it was found and then picking it up again.
Professors Conti and Vecchiotti said that this also made it highly likely that it had been contaminated and then they also revealed how they had been unable to retest the clasp because it had rotted away after being wrongly kept in the forensic lab in Rome.

Raffaele Sollecito, Knox's former boyfriend, also had his conviction for the killing overturned
Prosecutors lame arguments that the experts had no professional experience and that their findings were unqualified and unreliable, were ignored by the judge and jury.
Today prosecutors said they would appeal the decision and take the case to the Supreme Court in Rome but in the meantime Knox and Sollecito will be free and they do not even have to show up for the case.
The Supreme Court judges will simply examine all the documentary evidence and see if there is a valid point of law which can be used to overturn the appeal court’s ruling.
If they do not find any cause then the decision to release her will be confirmed while if they do find a justifiable reason then the case will be sent for a fresh trial leaving open the possibility of an extradition request from Italy for Knox.
Meredith, from Coulsdon, Surrey, was in Perugia as part of her Leeds University course and had only been in Italy for two months before she was killed in November 2007.
Initially prosecutor Mignini had described the murder as a Satanic ritual but his bizarre theory changed several times from a sex game gone wrong, botched break in or a jealous row.
Eventually in closing arguments he stuck simply to the all encompassing view that it was a 'senseless killing, without a motive' and which had led to him asking for the maximum life penalty.

Evidence: DNA found at the scene was called into question during the hearing

Brutal killing: A bedroom in the home Meredith shared with Knox in Perugia. Her blood-soaked body was found on the floor in her own room
Questions about the reliability of the verdict were raised during the original trial with many agreeing that the case would not have even come to court in Britain as it was based on half baked theories and a clearly botched investigation.
Mignini himself prosecuted the case despite the fact he was convicted last year of abuse of office after it emerged that he had illegally wiretapped journalists and police officers while investigating the 'Monster of Florence' serial killer.
He was given a 16-month jail sentence but as he is appealing he was still allowed to continue and tonight/last night there were reports that the Ministry of Justice in Rome was to investigate the whole case.

To be fair, the woman translating the verdict on Sky News first said the court finds Knox guilty, and then at the end she said the court acquits the defendants of the crimes. The way Knox broke down in tears led me to believe the initial translation was correct. Mass confusion.

The evidence used to convict the pair in the initial trial was not the most concrete to say the least.

Rudy Guede is in jail and has apparently admitted to the crime and I just hope that is enough justice for the Kercher family to take out of this tragedy and move on with their lives.

SuperCoolEskimo wrote:
To be fair, the woman translating the verdict on Sky News first said the court finds Knox guilty, and then at the end she said the court acquits the defendants of the crimes. The way Knox broke down in tears led me to believe the initial translation was correct. Mass confusion..

She was found guilty of the charge of slander or whatever. I don't think it's asking too much for a national news paper to actually listen to what was happening before they actually go ahead an publish it. Fuckwits.